LEGISLATIVE SESSION UPDATE

Rep. Steve Crisafulli : The 2016 Legislative Session began Tuesday and we had a productive first week for Florida.

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – The 2016 Legislative Session began Tuesday, and we had a productive first week for Florida.

We passed three major pieces of legislation this week with overwhelming bipartisan support that establish a comprehensive water policy for Florida, strengthen pathways to economic independence for individuals with disabilities, and increase options in education.

On Opening Day, I outlined several additional items I would like the House to consider this Session, including:

I believe addressing these important issues will create a lasting legacy of opportunity for Florida families and leave our state on a stronger path.

These are only a fraction of the issues the House will consider this year. House Members have filed many good bills that will improve our state, and I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues this Session on legislation that will strengthen Florida’s future.

Rep. Steve Crisafulli: The 2016 Legislative Session began Tuesday, and we had a productive first week for Florida. We passed three major pieces of legislation this week with overwhelming bipartisan support that establish a comprehensive water policy for Florida, strengthen pathways to economic independence for individuals with disabilities, and increase options in education.

As I mentioned, three priority bills were passed with strong bipartisan support and sent to Governor Scott for his signature this week.

This bill modernizes our existing water policies to reflect the progress we have made in protecting our water resources and focuses our efforts on the water quality and supply challenges we continue to face through the use of scientifically sound, responsible solutions.

While our water challenges cannot be solved in a single year or single bill, I believe this legislation is a great step in ensuring that Floridians have access to clean and abundant water for generations to come.

The legislation creates the Financial Literacy Program for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities to provide information and outreach to individuals with disabilities to assist them in establishing economic independence.

In addition, the bill creates the Employment First Act and the Florida Unique Abilities Partner Program to help those with disabilities find stable employment. These programs are a great starting point to help individuals with disabilities achieve economic independence.

I believe our state is made stronger when everyone has the opportunity to achieve success, especially our most vulnerable citizens.

In addition, through the Personal Learning Scholarship Account program (now known as the Gardiner Scholarship Program), families of students with disabilities will be able to provide a more customized education for their children to better meet their unique abilities.

By continuing to increase educational options for students and schools, we will further strengthen Florida’s education system and prepare our students for success.